5 DIY Sensory Play Ideas for Babies

These DIY sensory play ideas for babies are a terrific way to let your tiny tot explore new textures! Sensory Play is vital for your baby’s growth and the ability to use their five senses: sight, smell, taste, feel, and hearing. This is how babies learn about the world they’ve been brought into. From birth, they use their senses, and sensory play helps them learn about things hands-on, literally.

We scoured the planet for awesome sensory play ideas for your baby to help them enhance their senses and learn about…well…everything! Not only is sensory play fun, but there are added benefits like nerve connections to aid in completing tasks, language development, calming attributes when your child is upset or anxious, and motor skills just to name a few. These 5 sensory play ideas can quickly turn into a favorite for you and your child.

Variations of this can include (with no cooking needed): Hair gel (colored if available), liquid soap, shaving gel or foam, and dollar store items with no sharp edges. You can use a recipe online to cook ingredients or just add some of the items to the gallon baggie. Fill the bag with whichever item(s) you choose, then duct tape the edges so the little one can’t get them open. Once ready, sit back and watch your baby have fun.

Edible Fingerpaint

Nothing like a little messy fun with paint that tastes great and is healthy! Simple ingredients; Yogurt and food coloring, any kind you wish. Mix together, and let the little one go to town. It’s a good idea to throw down some plastic or similar material for them to paint on for easy cleanup.

Kool-Aid Ice Cubes

They’ll love seeing the cool colors and watching them melt, after they taste them of course. Ingredients: Kool-aid packets, water, and ice trays. Mix up the kool-aid in a pitcher or bowl, pour into the ice trays, and freeze until solid.

DIY Sensory Boards

>You’ll need a piece of wood, cardboard, or even a lid from a plastic tote, make sure it’s big enough for a few different items. Add any items you like to the base for their sense of touch; a piece of carpet, ribbon, velvet, cotton, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, and more. Affix the items to the base as you see fit, then let them explore.

Edible Mud Sensory Play

A favorite among the young ones because it tastes great and can be messy. Ingredients vary, but here are some ideas: Flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, white sugar, chocolate syrup, and water. Mix all together to make the mud. Add cooked noodles and even gummy worms if they are old enough. Chocolate pudding is a great substitute for this. Purchase an aluminum pan at the dollar store for easy cleanup and adjust ingredients to your liking. Don’t forget the old clothes, because it goes without saying that somebody is going to get messy.

These DIY sensory play ideas are some of the favorites we’ve found for babies and young children, but there are hundreds of ideas online that can help you choose. You could even get creative and come up with some of your own sensory play ideas, we hope this list helps get your creative juices flowing. Enjoy!

Do you have any favorite DIY sensory play ideas for babies? Share below!